O wherefore art thou sighing,
Thou drooping, downcast child?
Why from thy Father flying,
Who speaks in accents mild?
His eye is still upon thee,
His heart with pity moves,
And melts with loving kindness
Toward the child he loves.

Come, gather up thy trials,
Thy sorrows all recount;
When weigh’d is mercy’s balance,
How small is their amount!
All lighter far than shadows,
Or feathers in the air,
When with the weight of glory
Thou dost them well compare.

The fire of tribulation
May scorch and wound thy flesh,
And Satan, by temptation,
May shoot his fiery darts;
Thy dearest friends may fail thee,
Thine unbelief dismay,
And everything around thee
May tend to lead astray.

But he, who dearly bought thee,
Is stronger far than all;
He never would have sought thee,
And leave thee now to fall.
O, no! his arms are round thee;
Those blessed arms of love;
And though thy foes surround thee,
Thy father is above.

O! how this thought should cheer us
Amid the darkest night,
That God – our God – is near us,
Our everlasting Light;
Come, banish every murmur,
Heed not the tempter’s lure;
Let faith in God be stronger,
For thou shalt yet endure.

Haste, then, dear child of sorrow;
Press onward to the prize!
The trials which surround thee
But point thee to the skies!
The mourner’s home is yonder,
The crown of glory there;
And saints, with joy and wonder,
That diadem shall wear!

Come, join the general chorus
Of saints in earth and heaven;
For honor, praise and glory
Shall be to Jesus given.
His arm has brought salvation,
His ransom paid our debt;
Let every tongue and nation
The joyful truth repeat.

Author: E. B. M.

Signs of the Times
Volume 28, Number 17; September 1, 1860

Below are the songs that were made from the poem using AI. They are identified
by the genre of the music in paranthesis.